Louise Mensch, the Conservative MP and chick-lit author, has talked candidly
about dressing up for her husband as an "act of love".

The high-profile backbencher told of how she is anxious about looking good for her new husband, 58-year-old music manager Peter Mensch.

“I think it’s an act of love for a husband and wife who have committed to each other to keep themselves looking as good as they can," she said in an interview over the weekend. "I love him and I dress up for him. Not in a Barbie doll way, but ... he lifts weights and works out, and is absolutely stunningly gorgeous. My palms still sweat with adrenaline whenever he walks into a room.”

Her tips for a happy married life come the week after Kirstie Allsopp, the TV presenter and domestic goddess, recommended that women cook their husbands a meal before attempting to talk about feelings.

Mrs Mensch joined the debate about conjugal bliss by speaking openly about staying attractive for her husband, who lives in New York and manages bands such as Metallica and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

She said being in love had made her look "completely different" and "rediscover running and exercise".

However, she refused to talk about whether she has recently had plastic surgery, simply saying "I think people can do the mathematics on how long the summer recess was".

The 40-year-old MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire also admitted that taking class A drugs “disturbed her long-term happiness” after she used them briefly in her twenties.

Mrs Mensch was earlier this year accused of taking drugs as a young press officer for EMI in the 1990s.

She admitted it was “high probable” such an incident took place in a frank response to the allegations.

Now she has revealed further details of the harmful effect she believes drugs had on her well-being.

“I took some class A drugs,” she said in the interview. “But I don’t want to be too flippant about it. It was very damaging and I wish I had not done it. I do blame them for disturbing my long-term happiness.

“I blame drug use in my twenties for making me jumpier and more nervous and more anxious than I need to be.”

She went on to admit that she simply “grew out” of using drugs as a “natural part of growing up”.

On finding out about the drug usage, her mother told her she was “a very, very naughty girl”.

Mrs Mensch came to prominence earlier this year for her incisive questions to Rupert Murdoch over the phone-hacking scandal engulfing his media empire.

A member of the culture, media and sport select committee, she also called for a block on social networking websites during the UK riots over the summer.